Secure zone for digital communications

1. An apparatus comprising:

a screen;

a non-secure zone; and

a secure zone comprising:

a memory inaccessible to the non-secure zone;

a non-volatile storage configured to store at least one digital certificate and at least one encryption key;

a secure hardware processor configured to execute a task comprising a task certificate including information representing a task signer; and

a supervisor implemented using at least one hardware processor configured to:

control access to the at least one digital certificate and the at least one encryption key;

assume control over an output of the screen when the apparatus operates in a secure mode, wherein the secure mode is a first secure mode or a second secure mode; and

control execution of the task by the secure hardware processor;

wherein the supervisor is configured when the apparatus operates in the first secure mode to:

delegate control of a first portion of the screen to the task executing on the secure hardware processor; and

display in a second portion of the screen the information representing the task signer from the task certificate;

wherein the supervisor is configured when the apparatus operates in the second secure mode to:

delegate control of the entire screen to the task executing on the secure hardware processor; and

wherein the supervisor is configured when the apparatus operates in a non-secure mode to transfer control over the output of the screen to the non-secure zone.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an interface between the non-secure zone and the secure zone, wherein the secure zone receives the task from the non-secure zone through the interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-secure zone is configured to execute an operating system and at least one application in a non-secure mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an input device, and a switch connected to the input device, wherein the switch is configured to direct input received through the input device to the secure zone in the secure mode and to the non-secure zone in the non-secure mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the secure zone is further comprised of a decoder and an image processor, and the apparatus further comprising a mixer, wherein the mixer is configured to receive input from one or more of the decoder, the image processor and the non-secure zone, and wherein the mixer is configured to provide the output to the screen.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the mixer is configured to receive information representing the task signer from the image processor and information from the decoder, and wherein the mixer is further configured to provide to the screen an output comprising in part the information representing the task signer.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the mixer is configured to exclude input received from the non-secure zone from the output to the screen when the apparatus operates in the secure mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-volatile storage comprises a first non-volatile storage configured to store the at least one digital certificate and a second non-volatile storage configured to store the at least one encryption key.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the task comprises executable code and the supervisor is further configured to:

receive the task in the secure zone; and

load the executable code of the task into the memory and permit the secure hardware processor to execute the executable code.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the secure zone is tamper protected.

11. A method of operating an apparatus in a secure mode, wherein the apparatus comprises a non-secure zone, a secure zone, and a mixer, and wherein the secure zone comprises a supervisor, a secure hardware processor, a non-volatile storage, a memory inaccessible to the non-secure zone, an image processor and a decoder, the method comprising:

receiving at the secure zone from the non-secure zone a task comprising a task certificate including information representing a task signer;

assuming control by the supervisor over an output to a screen;

validating by the supervisor a digital signature associated with the task using a digital certificate stored in the non-volatile storage;

executing the task by the secure hardware processor utilizing data in the memory inaccessible to the non-secure zone;

receiving input at the mixer from the decoder and the image processor, wherein the input from the image processor comprises information representing the task signer from the task certificate;

generating an output by the mixer to the screen, wherein the output comprises the information representing the task signer from the task certificate to be displayed on a designated area of the screen when the task is being executed by the secure hardware processor; and

transferring control over the output of the screen to the non-secure zone after the task execution is complete.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising decrypting by the supervisor the task using an encryption key stored in the non-volatile storage.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the secure zone further comprises an interface separating the non-secure zone from the secure zone, the secure zone receiving the task from the non-secure zone through the interface.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising executing an operating system and at least one application in the non-secure zone.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising switching input received by a peripheral device to the secure zone when the task is being executed and to the non-secure zone after the task execution is complete.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising excluding input received from the non-secure zone from the output to the screen when the task is being executed.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the non-volatile storage comprises a first non-volatile storage for storing the encryption key and a second non-volatile storage for storing the digital certificate.